


Leaving the Nest

by DJRezYourGays



Category: Metroid Series
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-20
Updated: 2017-11-20
Packaged: 2019-02-04 10:11:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12768819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DJRezYourGays/pseuds/DJRezYourGays
Summary: Not for the first time, Samus needs a little help psyching herself up before an important mission.  Luckily, her adopted junior metroid is there to help.MicroWriMo 2017Prompt: Sheltered





	Leaving the Nest

_Okay_ , Samus thought, looking at herself in the mirror,  _you can do this._   

 _I can't do this_ , her reflection answered, deflating right before her eyes.  Despite her height and heft, she felt remarkably small without her Varia suit.  This mission wasn't quite like the others, and her inexperience in the area had her deeply worried about the outcome.

A light chirr behind her signaled the arrival of the metroid hatchling who'd accompanied her since SR-388.  It hovered over her shoulder, squirming excitedly in the air.  "Thanks, Little Warrior," she signed, "at least I know I have your support."  

She grabbed a brush and pulled her hair out of its ponytail to try and beat some life into the limp strands.  The baby metroid hooked a claw around the small makeup kit Samus had picked up with the last of her funds from Norion job and dragged it over.  Samus sighed, looking at the kit and its notable lack of instruction manual.  She spent so much of her life behind a helmet she'd honestly never given it any thought, and now that she was, she couldn't decide what to do.  Gandrayda was a shapeshifter, would makeup seem offensive to her?  Or would Samus' no doubt artless attempt seem like she at least cared enough to give it a try?

Resting a hand on the hatchling's head, Samus chuckled as it trilled happily and fluttered up out of the way.  The suite of glossy black containers came in a dizzying range of shapes and sizes.  She felt there was a better-than-average chance at least one of them might be a screwdriver, there really was no telling.  In the end, she decided on the only shape she recognized.  Plucking the lipstick out of the pile, she popped off the top and stared at the rich, dark color.

Her eyes returned to her reflection.  Crumpled, flat hair lay limp all around her head.  The suit and suspenders she had been so proud of when she tried them on in the store now looked plain, hanging awkwardly on her shoulders and bunching in unflattering ways.  She stared at the lipstick, wondering if all this weren't a giant waste of time.  The Chozo had given her everything - cared for her, taught her their ways.  Unfortunately the ways of an ancient bird-like people did not - surprise, surprise - include lipstick.  Or raising a hatchling of perhaps the most dangerous species in the system.  Or dating your on-again, off-again rival who might just as soon blow you up as buy you dinner.  

She was about to put the lipstick away and abandon the whole date idea when the metroid plopped itself on her head, an odd mirror of the much more damaging behavior of its now-extinct peers.  It warbled excitedly, its insides pulsing with a faint light through the translucent dome of its body.  Samus laughed and shook her head - gently, so as not to disturb it.  "No," she signed, "you can't come with.  We can't risk you getting seen again.  But I do think you would have made an  _excellent_ hat."

The metroid trilled again and floated up, leaving her to finish her preparations.  Samus was still chuckling at its enthusiasm, so eager to see its caretaker happy.  She hadn't had anyone else in her court for a while.  It was a strange feeling, but a welcome one.  With a confident nod to her reflection, she dared to give the lipstick a try, smacking her lips to coat as she'd seen countless times in old holovids.  The color was dramatic - maybe a little _too_ dramatic - but when she remembered who she was up against Samus decided it was just right.

The finishing touch was to put her hair back in the familiar and comfortable ponytail.  She took a deep breath and took herself in, surprisingly pleased with the image looking back at her.   _Now,_ she thought,  _you can do this._

The baby metroid hovered over her keys, still trying to help make sure she had everything she needed for the date.  She gave its dome a light peck and grabbed her coat, leaving behind a telltale mark as she headed out the door, adding a quick "don't wait up!" sign before the door shut behind her.  There was still a non-zero chance that this whole 'date' invitation from Gandrayda might be some kind of elaborate trap, but Samus didn't mind.  She was going to feel like a knockout either way.


End file.
